Is your security system appropriate, open, scalable and converged?

As a security design consultant, this is THE question I ask the clients first and in case the answer is a NO, that's the problem I help them to solve. Each one of us in the corporate world is trying to solve a problem. That's what makes our position relevant.

The answer to each question leads to another question till we run out of questions. The next question for me is 'How do I ensure it?'

For appropriateness, I define the Operational Requirements (OR), if the client has not already done so. Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has some good resources to help learn how to define OR 1 and OR 2 and given below is an overview of the process.

For openness, I work in the best interest of the client and ensure that the specifications are generic and not proprietary. The objective is to ensure that the clients do not get locked-in with a system and become vulnerable to being fleeced during the life cycle of the system.

For scalability, it is essential to visualize the likely expansion requirements and cater for it. Simultaneously 'redundancy' also needs to be planned for.

Finally is the very critical issue of the system being converged. Listed below are the four major advantages of a converged system:

1. Enhance customer's user experience. The first major benefit of convergence is an improved end-user experience, especially in terms of managing all the elements of the security solution more easily and efficiently. In this context, convergence works by providing a single platform and interface for managing disparate security infrastructure and devices, including video cameras, access control systems, intercom, and alarm systems.
2. Increase installation efficiency. With security systems that incorporate different systems and platforms, installation complexity is often dramatically increased, with multiple protocols to manage and even different cabling systems for different devices. Convergence helps hugely by providing a single platform and unified interface, allowing you to add devices quickly and easily in batches, and quickly configure device parameters. 
3. Boost security capability. With security solutions made up of diverse devices and platforms, it can be more difficult to achieve an instant view of a security breach and to respond quickly enough. A converged solution delivers greater performance and value for your customers than traditional systems made up of disparate elements. As an additional benefit, integration of devices allows each customer to set parameters for alarms, such as the types of events that trigger them.
4. Scale easily. With converged security solutions, all security devices – from cameras to intercom – run on a single underlying infrastructure and software stack. With this common infrastructure in place, the system can be expanded with new devices quickly and easily, with no need for additional hardware or software anywhere in the environment, and no need to re-invent the underlying infrastructure.